Are your white papers working hard enough? Essential tips on repurposing content
Does your organisation generate great content but your key audiences never seem to see it? When it comes to sourcing material for content marketing to drive traffic to your website, do you struggle to find anything appropriate? Well here’s a trick for you: repurpose your content. In our world of ‘more for less’, it’s all the rage. (And, of course, conduct an audit so you know what content you’ve got already).
What do we mean by ‘repurposing’ content?
Well, we certainly don’t mean ‘republish’. When you repurpose content, you take existing material (e.g. a PR article, workshop presentation or white paper) and reformat it (e.g. into several written blogs or even a video blog, an animated video [it’s easier than you think], infographic or eBook) for different channels (e.g.LinkedIn, YouTube or Flickr – and, it should go without saying, to your website).
It’s a win-win situation
Repurposing content is the most efficient use of your time and energy AND, because you’re integrating your messaging cross-channel, it brings cohesion to your brand. You can use existing material to a) reach a new, wider audience or b) reinforce a particular message amongst your existing audience.
Content, content everywhere and not a drop to spare? Pshaw! …
Most companies have a white paper or two in their arsenal – even old ones can often be updated in a jiffy. Quite frankly, white papers are the bazookas of content and are rarely redeployed to the best effect. Here are a few ideas on how best to use them. Carve it up. Spice it up.
1. Write a series of blogs.
2. Create a presentation and hold a webinar - publish your presentation to Slideshare.
3. Convert it to an eBook – strip it out and add in visuals. Publish it on flickr.
4. Create an animated video – with today’s software, you can easily buy one off the shelf and plug in your own content. Publish it on YouTube and Vimeo.
5. Write a press release - generate media coverage.
6. Create 50 tweets – schedule their release.
7. Build a simple infographic – share it on Twitter, your website, use as a sales tool in meetings.
Promote all the above through your social channels.
…or Build it up
When planning your content, select a monthly or quarterly theme and write your material around that. So, for e.g., write a series of blogs on different aspects of one theme and at the end of the month you can compile a cool, highly visual and easily digestible eBook. Or compile case studies to create a compendium. Manuals to create a handbook. Images to create a showcase. You get the idea.
Here are some great blog posts from our content friends on the subject too
1. Useful list of sites to upload your repurposed content (articles, videos etc.)
2. Repurposing you content – a few more ideas from Green Online
3. How to repurpose your content for consistency
4. 20 ways to repurpose your content
5. The Dos and Don’ts of B2B content reuse
6. Video eBook revives white paper: 7 steps to repurpose content (great B2B case study)
Do you have any tips on repurposing content that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below!
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Submitted by Rhys on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 14:11
Comments
#1 One of the objections I often
Submitted by Bryony Thomas (not verified) on Wed, 02/01/2012 - 10:47.
One of the objections I often hear about re-purposing is that people are scared of being seen to repeat themselves. There's a mistaken beilief that to catch people's attention you always need to be doing something brand-spanking new. In fact, the opposite is often true. Particularly in a crowded b2b marketplace. Repetition and consistency is often exactly what you need to make sure your message sticks. I blogged on this recently with reference to small businesses making their budgets go further by 'Reducing, re-using and re-cycling' their content.
#2 Great article... White
Submitted by Chad Stamm (not verified) on Mon, 11/14/2011 - 23:02.
Great article... White papers give an organization so much potential. Is there another format more effective at making headway in both content marketing and traditional marketing perspectives?
Here's a recent article I did on white papers:
http://www.chadstamm.com/White_Papers.html
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